The Implementation and Evaluation of Virtualized Protection Intelligent Electronic Devices into a Virtual Substation

This paper presents an investigation into the virtualization of substation protection IED functions using a sophisticated co-simulation environment that integrates virtual intelligent electronic devices (vIEDs) with a real-time power grid simulation. Anchored by the IEC 61850 protocol, this study constructs a virtualized IED framework, emphasizing the encapsulation of protection schemes using the example of different types of overcurrent protection within a containerized vIED. Using open-source software, this study aims to replicate the communication and functional aspects of physical IEDs. This study uses a co-simulation environment that couples virtualized network components with a real-time power grid simulation to validate the vIEDs against real substation hardware. Simulation results from induced short-circuit events confirm the operational congruence of the vIEDs with their physical counterparts, demonstrating their potential to serve as cost-effective and adaptable testbeds for substation automation. This paper concludes that virtualized IEDs represent a cost-effective, flexible alternative for substation automation testing, with future research directed towards increasing the functional complexity and real-world applicability of these virtual systems.